‘Nashville’ Recap: Rayna’s Shocking Family Secret Comes Out
As Juliette heads in a different direction, Rayna learns her mother’s death may not have been an accident!
The lives of our favorite singers got a whole lot more complicated on the Oct. 16 episode of Nashville. Maddie (Lennon Stella) was the ultimate drama teen, Teddy (Eric Close) joined Peggy (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in crazy town, and Scarlett (Clare Bowen) had a tough time dealing with her newfound fame. Let’s dig in!
It was about time that Nashville addressed the Rayna-Maddie-Deacon situation; it was only the biggest revelation of last season! On tonight’s episode, we saw the fallout of Rayna’s (Connie Britton) truth, and how Maddie was dealing with it.
Maddie actually behaved like a normal teen would — with a little extra baggage. She was mad (rightfully so), teary-eyed, and angsty. So Rayna tried to lift her spirits by inviting her and Daphne (Maisy Stella) to the Symphony Gala honoring her late mother.
Rayna talked to her mother’s grave about all the drama in her life. Maddie was having a hard time with Rayna’s secret, and now Rayna doesn’t know how to help her. To top that off, she thinks she lost her voice and she doesn’t know what she’ll do without it. Oh, Rayna, you are struggling.
Peggy’s Crazy, Deacon Moves On & Will Is A Music Thief
Meanwhile, Peggy continued to deal with the fact that she isn’t pregnant. She still hadn’t told Teddy, but hey, it’s whatever.
That’s when Teddy, who didn’t really seem to want anything to do with Peggy last week, asked her to marry him! He really only wants to be a family with Peggy in order to avoid a scandal, but at least he’s honest.
Meanwhile, Deacon (Charles Esten) wanted to repay his lawyer Megan (Christina Chang) for helping to get him out of jail — but while he was thinking a big fat check, she was thinking dinner! He took her up on the date, and they had a really nice time. And once they started talking, Deacon learned that Megan has a tough backstory of her own. As much as I love Deacon and Rayna together, it’s nice to see him moving on. He needs someone who understands him and doesn’t judge him for his past.
And after the success of Gunnar’s (Sam Palladio) song, which Will (Chris Carmack) stole, Will was riding high. He wanted Gunnar to hand over his song so he could make it a hit. Nice try, Will. After a little heart-to-heart with Avery (Jonathan Jackson), Gunnar decided to take control and keep his song.
A Scandal 30 Years In The Making
Tandy (Judith Hoag) began investigating Lamar’s (Powers Boothe) involvement in her mother’s death. She hired an investigator who uncovered that her mother’s car was being followed on the night of her death, and a housekeeper heard her parents fighting that same night. After the housekeeper reported this, she died soon after — along with the investigation.
Something is rotten in Nashville, and it smells like Lamar.
Tandy’s worst fear was confirmed at the Symphony Gala, as she realized Lamar helped kill her mother. So at the end of the episode, she threw Lamar under the bus by providing evidence of payoffs and illegal contributions over the years! This is going to be good.
Maddie Peaces Out
At the Symphony Gala, Maddie was not feeling like a princess. After she saw her grandmother’s wedding ring around Peggy’s neck, she freaked and fled. Daphne alerted everyone to Maddie’s disappearance and sent them into a tailspin.
However, Maddie was quite alright and she called Juliette to come pick her up. Maddie and Juliette talk and Juliette said Maddie reminded her of Deacon. Surprisingly, Juliette stuck up for Rayna to Maddie. She said that Rayna would do anything for her family, even quit the tour.
The next day, Maddie and Rayna talked and made up. When Deacon called Rayna, Maddie picked up the phone. They had a nice moment; Deacon told her not to run off again. She called him “Dad” after he hung up. I want more of these moments. Deacon and Maddie need each other, whether everyone likes it or not.
Rayna Says Goodbye to ‘Red Lips, White Lies’
Rayna told Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) that she had to quit the tour to spend time with her family. Also, she can’t sing, but she left that part out. Juliette flipped and basically spent the whole episode trying to figure out what to do next.
After talking to Maddie, Juliette agreed that it would be best for Rayna to take a step back from the tour. But that didn’t solve her problem of who would replace Rayna.
Juliette’s manager told her that if she didn’t become the Queen of Tween again, that there was no chance to sell-out arenas. Juliette thought she could go back to the teeny-bopper life, but she realized this was her time to move forward. However, she wasn’t wiling to downsize in any way.
So, Juliette got super strategic and called up Layla Grant (Aubrey Peeples) to be her opening act. Juliette is one heck of a genius.
Other Notes Worth Mentioning:
1. There was no Avery and Juliette moment tonight and that made me sad. However, she returned the car that Charlie (Charlie Bewley) bought as a thank-you gift. I haven’t given up!
2. Scarlett was totally awkward at her photo shoot. She couldn’t even have fun with it! (Girl, I wish I had your life.) She was struggling with the newfound fame, but I think she should just get over it.
3. Scarlett’s best friend Zoey (Chaley Rose) needs a record deal, ASAP. Seriously, can everyone in this town sing?
4. Maddie and Daphne singing one of Deacon’s songs at the end of the episode was so, so sweet. Someone get these girls a record deal, too! Of course, it was mostly bittersweet for Rayna, whose voice hasn’t returned.
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s Nashville?— Avery Thompson
Follow @AveryThompson
More ‘Nashville’ on HollywoodLife.com:
- ‘Nashville’ Recap: Deacon Finally Faces His Demons
- ‘Nashville’ Recap: Rayna & Juliette Make New Enemies
- ‘Nashville’ Season Premiere Recap: Rayna Gets A Nasty Wake-Up Call